As events cooled in Europe militarily and heated up politically in America, things were transpiring quickly in Africa. South African state President F. W. de Klerk would reverse the ban implaced on the African National Congress and announced that ANC leader Nelson Mandela would be released from prison. In mid February, de Klerk held up his pledge and a solemn Mandela made a powerful speech to the nation, straining for reconciliation between black and white South Africans. President Baxley of the United States praised de Klerk and South Africa for Mandela's release and hoped for more, but would do no more than praise.

Nelson Mandela upon being released from prison

Meanwhile, it would be longtime Cuban head of state Fidel Castro to praise Mandela and call for immediate power to be bestowed upon the black majority. Castro's push was by no means noble. Castro wished to fester dissent in his longtime rival for control in the Angolan Civil War, wishing for Communism to spread and infect South Africa and hopefully attach the nation someday to Cuba's sphere of influence. As foreign powers fought over to take advantage or gain something from Mandela's release, the South African government and ANC would enter intense talks to bring about the suspension of armed conflict from the military wing of the ANC, the Umkhonto we Sizwe, and to hopefully strive for the end of apartheid once and for all.

Back in the United States, two massive political fights were set to begin. President Baxley's federal budget for 1990 was ready to begin debate, while Justice of the Supreme Court William J. Brennan, Jr. was retiring from the highest court in the land and thus leaving a vacany to fill. President Baxley quickly chose Alabama Justice Frank M. Johnson as his choice for the nomination for the Supreme Court vacancy. Democrats quickly enamel themselves Johnson, who is a moderate with good credentials on civil rights, and quickly gains support from from both chambers.

Pugnacious Republicans in the Senate quickly attempt to stall debate using parliamentary procedure, much to the chargin of Majority Leader Simpson's appeals. In the end, Frank M. Johnson is confirmed by a strong supported bipartisan vote in the senate. Now the budget battle loomed. President Baxley was pushing hard once again for higher taxes on the rich, cuts in defense spending and NASA to attempt to balance the budget. Republicans moved with their own bill, supporting cuts in education and infrastructure, while expanding defense and NASA budgets.

The Congress quickly fell into bickering as worrisome moderates on both sides, turned to a compromiser. Senator Jim Lovell, an ardent opponent of President Baxley's cuts to NASA, quickly became the leader of moderation and the appeals for civility in the Senate chambers. With this odd interworking between Senator Lovell and the Baxley Administration, would the budget pass both chambers of Congress with several prominent changes. The defense budget was slashed, but nothing like what the Baxley budget asked for. NASA took only a small paycut, while education and social programs would take hits to help pay for infrastructure reforms and to balance the budget overall. Liberals tore President Baxley for compromising his core values because of this mutt budget plan and pledged to dog the President from now on.

With things fluctuating internally, international issues would be raised by a stunning terrorist attack. On a flight from Geneva to New York City, a delegation of high up United Nations observers over Libya, were headed to the United Nations in New York City to report their findings on Muammar Qaddafi. Instead of reaching their destination, members of the extremist group Pan Arab Socialist Jammahiriya detonated several hidden explosives on the plane. The flight broke apart and the remains crashed onto the ground outside the Belgian city of Oostende. International horror was quick as the PASJ quickly took credit for the attack and death of over two hundred lives.

Wreckage of the Geneva-to-New York flight

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi stated he knew nothing or supported the PASJ publically, though his rhetoric about enlarging Libya again would be in step with the PASJ ideals of a "Greater Libya". In the United States, President Baxley's approvals faltered once again as Republicans went of the attack for the administration's "blind eye" isolationist policy. Nearly all Republicans joined in the beatdown of President Baxley, save House leader Ron Paul. Still the damage had been done and Americans were questioning President Baxley's policies on all fronts.

With a bomb burst, the year moved onwards to it's eventual end. Through hurt, scorn and hate on so numerous sides, with battles raging across the world, a year of hell certainly ended. Only now 1991 began, with hope in the hearts of many.

As I mull over the next chronicle in the timeline, I'd thought I would make an little off posting about minor third parties in this TL. I've been thinking of having one actual TL post, along with several small snippets in the gaps between posted chronicles. Hope this catches on. Enjoy!

American 'Minor' Third Parties, 1972 and Onwards

1972 was the year that President Richard Nixon was reelected to the Presidency, it was also the year that he made vows under pressure from the public to deal with Vietnam in a more conciliatory manner and the sad year that Arthur Bremmer assassinated 'Tricky Dick'. 1972 also brought as mentioned, the 1972 Presidential Election and the reinvigoration of one of the more lasting third parties in the United States, the American Independent Party. Yet there was in fact other political parties that began their rise from obscurity or were birthed into the political world of the United States, in 1972. One of these new poitical parties was the New Liberty Party. Conceived in 1971 based on the principles of libertarianism, small government, low taxes and maximum liberties for the citizen, the party started out what could only be called a 'pipsqueek' in political sway. Yet it, like any political party, would grow to fill a niche in the political spectrum and voting bloc. In 1988, the New Liberty Party nearly fractured over the nomination of Russell Means and social issues.

Also in the 1972 Presidential election, the 1971 created People's Party contested their first election. This People's Party was more a coalition of various individual, state and local political parties, who hoped to unite the anti-war supporters into one political party. In 1972, long time pediatrician and psychoanalysis Benjamin Spock was nominated as their nominee after Ralph Nader turned the nomination down. Quickly though the People's Party began to fizzle, 'Dr. Spock' as he was known, was not the best campaigner and the fervor around Vietnam had cooled, thanks to President Nixon's concilitary moves towards the issue. To cope with this, the People's Party invited the Socialist Workers Party to create a joint ticket for the 1972 election. After much debate, the more regal Benjamin Spock would be kept as Presidential canididate, while Socialist Workers vice presidential nominee Andrew Pulley would be given the vice presidential spot.. Though the joint ticket would be defeated, the stage would quickly be set for the Socialist Workers and People's Party to officially fuse into the People's Socialist Party in 1975. In 1990, the People's Socialist Party officially split broke apart due to sagging support and party infighting amongst eco-liberals, socialists, more mainstream leftists, marxists and communists.

In the 1972 elections, the long established and shuned Communist Party contested the election with little support. They would as usual, loose the election but because of the new conciliatory moods growing in the United States and in the international community between the Soviet Union. It would not be for some time that the Communist Party seized on any of this softened views on Communism and the Soviet Union, for the Communist Party was nearly always in the midst of political infighting and expulsions by the orthodox leadership of Gus Hall. In the 1980's, the USSR was rocked by scandal that several KGB leaders were milking money and contributions from the Communist Party USA to fatten their wallets, thus leading to Mikhail Gorbachev to remove several members of the KGB and install reformers, thus casting a shadow on things to come in the USSR. For the Communist Party USA was greatly shaken by this and reformers and 'Gorbachevists' quickly took to attacking longtime leader Gus Hall, eventually leading to the marginalization of Hall in the parties leadership. By the late 80's, the democratic "Communalists" had filled the gap of leadership, with 'Castroistas' supporting Cubano ideals and militant Maoists nipping at the Communist Party leadership.

Actually it's not. Look at the results, it's slowly crumbling after building support really from those southern voters that had just voted Democrat year after year in elections. You will see them break apart and similar parties to the likes of the Taxpayers and Constitution to arise to fill the conservative third party space, while the 'New Liberty' Party and the movement to create a coherent leftist third party begin to arise.

Sorry it's taken so long, but on every front I've just had a massive case of writers block. Enjoy!

Part 21: The Chronicles of Blood

A new year dawned with Republicans in charge of both chambers of Congress. House Leader Ron Paul had been deposed in a coup maneuver from moderate and interventionist Republicans, thus crowning Benjamin Gilman the new Republican House leader and also thus Speaker. Internationalist Republican quickly rallied with their triumphs in the midterms to slug the Baxley Administration right in the proverbial jaw. Republicans, after their battles on the budget, joyfully revelled in the isolationary Baxley's blowback over the Oostende bombing and his perceived soft touch with Libya and terrorism as a whole.

In January, struggling communist rebels in China were dealt another blow to their crusade to take back the nation and instill the teachings of Mao once again in one of the oldest nations on Earth. In a coup orchestrated by frustrated politicians, moderate factions in the military and democratic supporters, Siad Barre is ousted from his position as President of Somalia. Ali Mahdi Muhammad of the Somali National Congress, succeeds Barre as President but he soon comes to the realization that not all shall support his government. Supported secretly by East Germany, Cuba and Chinese Communists, civil war boils and grips Somalia as 'Barreistas' take to the streets in what will become bloody street warfare that will forever mar the nation. Others, especially in the military that see weakness in the interim government, attempt to overthrow or rise up against the government for their own purposes.

Meanwhile, Britain suffered a great shock to their spirits in the form of an attack perpetrated by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. The IRA launches a mortar attack on 10 Downing Street, launching three mortars at what was a usual finance meeting. One of the mortars doesn't detonate, while the other two do. One of them goes wildly past their target and does little damage, the other hits close to it's mark and damages 10 Downing Street. The explosion kills one person and maims many more in varied cuts, scrapes, burns and numerous other wounds. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, frazzled, is fine except for several nicks and makes a response over British television to show the resolve of the British nation and her government. In two months after the February 13 attacks, or the 02-13-1991 attacks, the Thatcher supported 'Terrorism Preparedness Act of 1991 would be passed by parliament. the act expanded the overall powers for the Home Secretary and the government in a whole, allows the ability to suspend habeus corpus on suspected Irish terrorists if need be. Overall the 02-13 attacks brought about the official end of the eighties and 'The Troubles' and usher in the 90's and the coming 'Dark Days'.

Scene of 10 Downing Street after the 02-13 Attacks

"By god we had struggled all this time, now all of our appeals were in the garbage heap. 'All and any trials by suspected IRA members' were postponed, a ruling from the empowered Home Secretary and the hag known as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. William Power, one of the 'Birmingham Six', rested his head in sorrow against the cool wall as he pondered what to do now. "'Nothing" is what slipped out of his lips, nothing could be done. He was in a state of purgatory, to wait for these times of terror to subside, for the Home Secretary to rummage through all of the pending cases involving the IRA or suspected IRA members. Doctor Frank Skuse was happy about this, his name wasn't going to be dragged through the mud because of his, well big, screw-up that landed William in this small, cold prison cell. Now William could do nothing but wait and he knew, that would be it's own hell".

Afghanistan continued on it's merry way of self-destruction. After the coalition formed between the opposition government and the mujaheddin, all was completely lost after the PRC left the nation in disgrace. With it, the two former allies of convenience turned on one another. The government in opposition quickly found itself between a rock and a hard place. Russia or America wasn't warm to the idea of supporting the opposition government, while Iran continued to funnel support towards the mujaheddin. Now by March, all hope had disintegrated and a 'Islamic Republic of Afghanistan' had been proclaimed like what had occurred in Iraq. Quickly these two new Islamic Republic's that bordered Iran, moved to purge itself of all nonbelievers, dissidents and opponents to it's governments. Hundreds would be killed in the slaughter in Iraq and Afghanistan, sending thousands more flooding over the borders into all neighboring nations, setting off a massive refugee crisis.

As Cuban supported revolutions gained steam and rampaged through Central America, Mexico suffered under the strain of the bordering and encroaching warfare. Southern Mexico was greatly being inflicted by the close civil war that was being raged in Guatemala between the national government and anguished agrarians and the disheveled indigenous. Angered and long under-represented indigenous populations in Chiapas, a umbrella group was formed to fight and demonstrate for the continuation of Chiapas from buisness interests. The 'Zapatista Army', as it was called after Mexican agrarian reformer Emiliano Zapata, began a successful hit and run campaign against business contractors and staffers. At first the Zapatista Army would only delve into sabotaging bulldozers and machinery to put a stop to encroachment on indigenous land, but soon Cubano agents began to whip up the bottled anger in Chiapas.

Chiapan Zapatista Army Forces

Due to their meddling, several publicized attacks occured on business offcials in Southern Mexico by the more radical Zapatista Army members, which left several dead. The United States and President Baxley responded to the troubles in Chiapas with straining a non-interventionary policy. With the United States and the Soviet Union opting out to meddle, Mexico was left to it's own devices and to deal with the "Chiapas Problem". Mexicano President Carlos Salinas reacted towards the crisis by using diplomacy, quickly dispatching advisors to hammer out some kind of proposal between the Mexican government and the Zapatista's. After several months of back and forth, an agreement was reached in the accords that guaranteed Chiapas and indigenous the right of self-determination, respect and diversity towards the indigenous and the right to control their own development plans.

In the United States, the issue of immigration was raised by the rush of Central American immigrants escaping the savage civil wars of their home region. Democrats took a central stage on supporting civil minded immigration reform legislation, while Republicans were a bit less excited to focus on domestic programs over foreign policy. Both sides did show considerable openess and support on the issue, while southern Democrats were taken somewhat aback by President Baxley's support for immigration reform and guest worker programs. In the house, would a legislative plan be created in the form of the McCain-Mazzoli Immigration Reform and Quota Act. Much of the bill's idea's was from Alan K. Simpson's legislative hopes in 1986 to propose bipartisan immigration reform, though the '86 chances were defeated by the divisive beginning of the Libyan War.

Because of Simpson's leadership position and support for the McCain-Mazzoli bill, the Republicans quickly became split on the issue. With a fractured voting bloc entailing southern Democrat opposition, northeastern Republican support and western Republicans and midwestern Democrats split, the votes in both houses were deeply divided. In a close vote, the McCain-Mazzoli bill passed the house by a small number of votes. The Senate, also in the hands of Republicans after the 1990 midterm elections, was just as divided as the House of Representatives. With the Democratic National Committee voices it's support towards the Baxley Administration and southern Democrats in clear opposition, Republicans are able to hit home their message and push the McCain-Mazzoli Immigration Reform Act through. President Baxley signs the legislation into law, but gains suprisingly low approvals from Democrats and troublesome polls that show support for a primary challenge to Baxley in 1992.

Abroad, the Soviet Union found itself facing a burgoining challenge. Yugoslavia, ruled for many years by Josep Tito, was deteriorating into ethnic violence and struggles for independence from the individual republics. With the United States continuing it's more unsavory non-interventionalism, the Soviet's began to aid the reform spirited governments in Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro. East Germany, defaced by it's foreign policy suicide with the debacle over Berlin, began to funnel support towards the hardline Serbians in hopes of creating a hardline Communist bloc against the amassed reformist-democratic "Communalism".

The year 1991 came to a close. 1992 arose and so did much to be expected. The 1992 election in the United State, the spiral of Yugoslavia, the continuing tide of revolution, the fermentation of breakthroughs in space and so much more. All as a new year dawned.

It's back! It's hard for me to follow international events, but it seems like the world's falling apart. In Latin America, Afghanistan, and the UK, terrorism and other forces are causing a huge stir.

Any hints on possible candidates in 1992? Also, I notice you don't do primary maps for nominations. If you don't feel like doing them, I'd be glad to volunteer (I like making maps), and hand them over to you to insert into the election posts.

It's back! It's hard for me to follow international events, but it seems like the world's falling apart. In Latin America, Afghanistan, and the UK, terrorism and other forces are causing a huge stir.

Any hints on possible candidates in 1992? Also, I notice you don't do primary maps for nominations. If you don't feel like doing them, I'd be glad to volunteer (I like making maps), and hand them over to you to insert into the election posts.

Quite so, international events are crazy. The major reasoning behind it is because of a very different end to this cold war(if you could call it that). With a friendly US and USSR, numerous regional powers are filling the gaps in places like Latin America and the Middle East. Cuba is expanding it's support, as is Iran. It's a very fractal world in many ways. As for Britain, that's just a take on a worse "the troubles" because of Thatcher still being in office(thanks to Labour's better showing in '83 and close victory and fragile colition government in '87 that broke apart with snap elections were held, with the tories winning on a "strong government" plaform). As for primary maps, I think I can do them and I just might put those in to complement the election posts. Still, thanks for the offer.

Can you order the Presidents in this timeline from greatest to worst? I'm wondering how they stack up against each other.

Alright, using the Presidents that are present in the TL here is how things come out:

1. Richard Nixon (R-NY), a 'good' president by many, more so an interesting man based on much political survival that led to some bipartisanship, cooling of tensions between the USSR and the "allied" landing on the Moon.2. Ted Kennedy (D-MA), more so because of name status and his slaying, Kennedy is remembered for his push for health care and reaching for Mars.3. Mark Hatfield (R-OR), though a liberal president, Hatfield healed wounds after Agnew and ended the entanglement in Vietnam.4. Richard Thornburgh (R-PA), an average president marked by a return to the gold standard and the Libyan War.5. Nick Galifianakis (D-NC), not a terrible president but just below average in many eyes, isn't remembered for much.6. Spiro Agnew (R-MD), known for his hardnosed attitude and corruption scandal, general remembered for extending Vietnam and damaging the presidency.

As I clank away on Part 22, I'm just curious to post this. It's a little wikibox for the timeline's US 1972 Presidential election. I'm just flirting with the idea of posting little sniplets in the intermission between parts. I may post other things like several presidential campaign logo's I've come up with and maybe other wikibox elections. In another greater possibility, I have the idea of posts like "Forever War" and "Forever Cinema" to expand on the semi fractal/fractured timeline that Forever Mankind is. I may do this, for I can tye up some of those loose ends and fill in the gaps to get a better picture of things and reign in some confusion, as I originally wanted Forever Mankind to be a snapshot like TL with a portion of the world shown in each part as much more occured "offscreen" so to speak. Just some idea's but nevertheless, here is the wikibox '72 election. Enjoy!

Well Part 22 is ready, it took so long because I tried and tried to sand it down to fit in the max character limit but finally I decided to split it into Parts 22.1/22.2. Enjoy!

Part 22.1: The Chronicles of Tears

The new year began with a hope filled event. After UN Secretary General Adebayo Adedeji was elected to another term as sec-gen, Adedeji commemorated 1992 as the "International Year of Space" in remembrance of the five-hundredth anniversary of Columbus landing in the New World. American politicians, especially Republicans, used this to pressure the Baxley administration to not cut the already bled NASA budget. President Baxley, with a shaky federal budget and a slowly but surely climbing economic market, decided to begin the road to Mars once again. This would not be without it's challenges and tribulations.

The first issue would be curtailing space shuttle missions to the World Space Station, instead relying more on Soviet shuttles and Europeans to resupply the WSS. Working in tandem with NASA Acting Administrator T. Jack Lee, President Baxley layed out plans to significantly reduced space shuttle missions. This in effect would save millions that would be re-budgeted to the Mars research and development program. Republicans decried this as a plan that placed too much of the burden on their space faring allies and that President Baxley's plans were without clarity on the Mars mission blueprints. Still with much of the powers of NASA's budget relying on Administrator Lee, most if not all of the cuts and budgetary changes would be implemented.

Republicans attacked this as well, saying that Administrator Lee could not issue the budget cuts since he was in fact only acting administrator. President Baxley, cast this off while loosing political points and also cast off any chance of nominating Lee for a full term as NASA Administrator. Instead, Lee would remain controversially as Acting Administrator for the duration.

"The battle over NASA put my presidency into clarity. I had struck the need to balance the budget, cut certain expenditures while keeping up the work to Mars. The dismal successes of immigration reform, infrastructual works and environmental law prosecution only clouded things and arose questions. The economy may had been in recovery, but the American people never received a clear picture of the man I would be in office. I supported the environment and ecology, thus I was classified a liberal. I supported lower taxes, thus I was classified a conservative. I supported meaningful infrastructure programs and some affirmative action measures, thus I was classified a moderate. This was the vein that ran all the way from the 1988 election with Secretary Jackson's quintoxic bid as a independent, his question as whether I was "too conservative", to what was I? 1992 was when I cemented a moderate approach to things more clearly, As Senator Heflin had put it 'At least he's no Galifianakis, I'll tell you!'. Well I only wish voters had taken that much rosier view of myself before election day and that the American Independents implosion and the 'cabinet crisis' hadn't complicated things further.." - Exert of Kiss My Ass: The Unabashed Biography by Bill Baxley

The former Yugoslavia was in death throws as nationalism shattered the frictional ethnic nation into numerous nations. Serbia quickly rose to it's feet first under the leadership of Slobodan Milosevic and asserted that they were the continuation of Yugoslavia and the differing republics were in a state of rebellion, declaring military action unless reunification under Serbian leadership. Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia and Slovenia all broke from the crumbling Yugoslavia to declare their independence with mixed blessings. The Serbian led remainder of Yugoslavia, still claimed Slovenia to an extent but would do little to exert this. Instead most of the focus of Milosevic and his government would be put on the remaining splinter republics.

Ethnic breakdown of the Former Yugoslavia

Quickly things began to loose cohesion, Serbian dominant areas of Bosnia & Herzegovina declared their allegiance to Serbia. Milosevic and the Serb military quickly reacted, invading Bosnia & Herzegovina to liberate the Serb dominant regions. With Bosnian/Herzegovinan forces ill equipped, the Serb forces easily marched all the way to Sarajevo, surrounding the city and laying a siege that would accumulate in years. The Soviet Union, going through turbulent unemployment and a growing free market, was quickly forced into an uneasy corner. The USSR and Yugoslavia, known for their rocky relations during the years that followed the Second World War, had sowed the seeds of diplomacy under Brezhnev's term and Gorbachev's.

Because of this, Yugoslavia did not only receive food aid and monetary aid, but military surplus. With this, the USSR was quickly put into the position of viewing their weapons of war aid ethnic instability and conflict in the Balkans. With enough pressure, the United Nations, acting with the Baxley Administration, gave the go ahead on supporting a UN Resolution that would send peacekeepers into the former Yugoslavia to create buffer zones, multi-ethnic protected zones and secure international sensitive areas to push the combatants on both sides to the peace table. The first peacekeepers of the United Nations Protection Force for the Former Yugoslavia(UNPROFORYU) would arrive in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina by late June, setting up protection zones and demilitarized buffer zones in sensitive areas. Special attention was quickly brought to bare for Sarajevo, suffering under continuous attack in the city's siege, with aid relief routes being secured to the city by UNPROFORYU peacekeepers all the while as diplomatics attempted to wrestle peace from the jaws of war.

Here is the second part of Part 22. After this, up comes next the 1992 Presidential Election and either keeping Baxley or booting him from office. Well once again, enjoy!

Part 22.2: The Chronicles of Tears

In East Germany, long cut off from aid from most major organizations and indeed cut off from the outside world, was burdened with devastating food shortages and political strife. Quickly, with popular support, new protests sprung up from East Berlin to Leipzig with it's leadership under former East German Olympian Till Lindemann. Lindemann's leadership was brash and blunt, but he organized a massive march on the capital to demand for government transition to something either democratic or soviet-like communalism. In this "final march", would heckling demonstrators ignite several crude flash bombs and set off a bloody riot that split the East German security forces over firing on their own people. With the Berlin Crisis of 1989 and 1990 still fresh, mutinies abounded as revolution swept through the southern portion of East Germany.

In special sessions and meetings, NATO and Communal Alliance of Republics(CAR) officials issued the creation of a United Nations backed no-fly-zone over much of East Germany. With "Operation Unified Defender/Popular Protector", in several months, the Krenz government collapsed under international pressure, military defections and popular support for the rebels. When things finally come to their end with the jailing of Egon Krenz and most of the regime's leaders, East Germany is in tatters. It's economy is laid for the world to see and it is a bleak picture. Poverty and unemployment rocket into the significant double digits as the communist programs of continued work come to a close, making the country the number one poorer nations of Europe near overnight after the removal of the economic facade that had blanketed East Germany for so many years. To respond to this economic crisis, both East and West Germany would hold summits, headed by West German Chancellor Oskar Lafontaine and leaders of the East German transitionary council government.

Chancellor Lafontaine announcing negotiations with East Germany

With successful operations by NATO and CAR, President Baxley saw significant gains and transferals to his polling in the upcoming election. As Baxley's campaign went along, the successes in East Germany generated serious possibilities of reelection, though quickly scandal would rock the President's cabinet and bring concern and pressure on the President himself. HHS Secretary Hillary Clinton was charged with improper use of her powers by the wonder attorney Ken Starr. These charges ranged from dolling out handouts and medical grants to select special interest groups that were alleged to help pave the way for a possible run for a senate seat in Arkansas for either Secretary Clinton or her husband, Bill. The nightmarish circus quickly became even more public as it was brought to court, where Starr would allege that the Secretary had also chauffeured prostitutes to "Bill's hearts delight".

These allegations would force the case to be thrown out, though almost in no time a new scandal erupted. Allegations forced out Interior Secretary Gary Hart that he had been carrying on a sexual relationship with his personal secretary, Donna Rice. Hart would resign only to ask for renomination to the position, stressing that the scandal would not impair his work as Secretary. President Baxley flatly refused and nominated Governor of Wyoming Michael "Mike" Sullivan, who after partisan debate, was confirmed by bipartisan support after rangling from Senator Alan Simpson. Even with the "cabinet crisis" over, the events brought more extensive light on President Baxley's bachelor life during a general election and helped give rise to the exploitation of the dissolved American Independent Party members and their effects on the Democratic Party in the 1992 elections.

Across the globe, events transpired out of the grand spectacle that was East Germany and the crisis in the former Yugoslavia. Great Britain, under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, rebuked new Labour leader Robin Cook in a general election dominated by Northern Ireland and national safety. The hopes to create a "European Union" were dashed by euroscepticism from governments in West Germany and France. Riots occurred in Vietnam because of the trial of former South Vietnamese soldiers, while a torn down 16th century mosque led to to furry between muslims and hindus. For the United States, the acquittal of four LAPD police officers in the beating of Rodney King sparked outrage in the African-American community.

Major riots sprung up in Los Angeles, but wouldn't stop there. With unease between President Baxley and the African-American community, riots swept in a domino effect as San Francisco, Las Vegas, Tampa, Atlanta, New York City, Charleston, New Orleans and Chicago experienced riots to certain degrees. President Baxley's open sympathy to Rodney King and disdain for the court ruling, along with King's appearance calling for calm on television and the threat of national guardsmen, the riots that would become known as the "Race Riots of 1992" ended six days in. With a fair hand in the events, President Baxley saw success with voters but a zeal by former American Independent members, who clamored that a deterioration of family values and general apathy by both political parties had led to a "culture war" in the streets.

With a raucous period at the end, the year of tears of joy for new horizons and tears for blood spilt came to it's end. Yet now 1993 dawned and with it, dawned a year of hope.

Yay! It's back! What experience did Hillary have before being appointed to HHS? Also, what'd bill do after his stint as AG?

After a short stint in the justice department and the Ted Kennedy administration, Bill returned to Arkansas and won the governorship in 1978. With the early 80's seeing an upswing in support for Republicans nationally and in the upper south, Bill failed to be re-elected as Governor and failed in several political comebacks. Because of this though, his wife Hillary became a prominent activist, ranging from education reform to health care insurance. Because of this, Hillary was appointed to a position on a state advisory board on health affairs by Governor Jim Guy Tucker in 1986, which was parlayed into a cabinet position in the southern friendly Baxley Administration by 1989.

Search "frontloading 1992 presidential primary calendar". It's a bit excessive, including every single primary, but it's reliable (to a point-there are some conflicts between its 2000 schedule and wikipedia's 2000 schedule).

The Republicans: The Republican Party field was packed to the gills by candidates. Senator Jim Lovell, Former Vice President Barry Goldwater JR, Representative Ron Paul, Former Governor Lamar Alexander, Former Governor Pete du Pont, Former Agriculture Secretary Bob Dole, Senator Pete Wilson, Businessman Steve Forbes, Former HUD Secretary Arthur Fletcher and Political Commentator Pat Buchanan. The race began with heated betrayal between Goldwater and Paul, who pouted that Goldwater was not a real libertarian after his service under the internationalist Thornburgh Administration. With victories in Iowa and moderate states, Lovell quickly became the frontrunner, picking up on the American middle-ground and a Nixonian tone. Goldwater lagged as Paul bled votes from him and handed states to Lovell and surprisingly Alexander, who had exploded in the south thanks to lower income whites and restless African-American voters. With the last primaries casting their votes, Goldwater fell far short and scored only several hundred delegate votes at the convention. Because of this, Senator James "Jim" Lovell had won the Republican nomination for President. To reach out to women, the social issue planks for the GOP were moved to the center and Senator Nancy Kassebaum was chosen as Lovell's runningmate.

The Democrats: With a sense of hope, did envelope President Bill Baxley's campaign for reelection. With victories in foreign affairs and a growing economy thanks to private investments in China, the "Wild East", reelection seemed to be a cakewalk. Token opposition appeared in the forms of Representative Joe Simonetta, Representative Louis Stokes, Former Senator Eugene McCarthy and Mayor Larry Agran. After easily winning the nomination, Vice President Dukakis was kept on the ticket. Quickly the prevailing high hopes were dashed as the true campaign became the Democratic Party's platform. States like Mississippi and Alabama became representations of former American Independents forcing themselves to become delegates at the convention. Quickly with fear and the ides of a "culture war" brought on by the Race Riots of 1992, helped push the social issues planks to the right in a close vote. African-Americans, somewhat endeared to the new way President Baxley was portraying himself, saw their spirits drop because of the decision at the convention. Women were also turned off by the subtle but unmistakable pro-life undertones that the new social planks took. With a wounding convention, both President Baxley and Vice President Dukakis began their fateful march to November.

The General: After the scaring events of the Democratic platform fight, a new flaw appeared in the Baxley/Dukakis '92 campaign. Both men, although having no animosity against one another, had minimal conversations between the two due to Baxley's focus on internal matters and Dukakis's aspirations and differing beliefs. Because of this, three campaigns took shape, the Lovell/Kassebaum ticket and the separate Baxley and Dukakis campaigns. President Baxley used a fiery populist campaign, journeying across the country and holding both formal and informal campaign rallies, even attending a football game of the WLAF Birmingham Fire in his homestate of Alabama. Vice President Dukakis, instead kept to the north and used the more formal and dry campaign style that many candidates before had used. Senator Lovell moved across the nation, campaigning on his senate credentials, his moderate positions and his hero status as the leader of the Alliance 1 joint mission with the Soviets in 1969. The debates were significantly tiring for both Dukakis and Baxley. Vice President Dukakis flopped in the first and only vice presidential debate after stumbling on answering a hypothetical question involving corporal punishment and rape. President Baxley did better and won the first two debates surprisingly, but the last one was a deathblow for Baxley's momentum. In the last debate, President Baxley attempted to paint himself in the image of John Kennedy and attacked Senator Lovell's "nixonian" attitudes. Lovell simply stated "Mr. President, I may not be Richard Nixon but you sir aren't John Kennedy". After that Lovell won the last debate and hit the campaign trail hard, campaigning on positive change for the future and defeating the "Birmingham-Boston Axis". On election day, the separate campaigns of Baxley and Dukakis payed off in the south and north, as New York and Pennsylvania was carried by several points. In places like Illinois, California, Florida and Michigan, states that were necessary for President Baxley's reelection, fell to Senator Lovell because of regional appeal, lower Democratic turnout and animosity from several key Democratic bases. Because of this, Senator James "Jim" Lovell defeated President "Bill" Baxley for the presidency, marking Baxley's presidency as being another that failed to be reelected. The election of 1992 also marked a realignment in the electorate as the Republican Party moved towards the center of the political spectrum as the Democratic Party began to take on a more Christian Democratic tone.

Yes! I love how you had the joint moon mission have consequence reaching as far as the Presidency! Wondering how social issues will end up. With both Libertarians and socially moderate, well, moderates dominating the Republican party, it'll, as was hinted, move into a much more Northern position. Too bad Goldwater couldn't seal the deal, but oh well, we got an astronaut President! Wonder who'll be in his cabinet.

Also, might Barry Jr. try for a Senate seat at some point to maybe set himself up for a possible 2000 run or at least get back into politics? Also, I wonder what the fate of Paul will be in the future, and where OTL's "Neo-Conservatives" might end up.